Gary Phillips Talks About The Match

Last updated : 11 November 2008 By Thetashkentterror

Gary Phillips
Grays assistant manager Gary Phillips spoke to YourThurrock about today's 1-1 FA Cup draw against Carlisle at Brunton Park, Phillips a little disappointed that his side conceded late on and didn't hold out for the win :


" I'm extremely proud of the players but we are also sat in there disappointed, I know that it sounds a bit strange, but we felt, especially in the first-half, that we played particularly well and maybe should have been 1-0 up at half-time. 1-1 we would have taken but a wee bit disappointed that we haven't got the result.

" It was about who is capable of playing in the FA Cup because we have got so many players that are cup-tied. Obviously we have brought Andre (McCollin) in and I thought that he was immense upfront today. We have gone with the players that obviously were not cup-tied and with experience as well, with Fabian (Wilnis) obviously at the back, Jamie Stuart and Johnny Ashton playing upfront, who is a centre-half as we know. We felt that that was the way that we had to go though and I thought that they did very, very well.

" We are a non-league side coming to a league side and I have been on the other end of things. We are expected to go and have a go at them and perhaps maybe we wanted to win a wee bit more than them in the first-half. I thought that in the second-half they certainly improved, and I wouldn't say that we were hanging on but they had one or two chances as well.

" We matched them today though, I thought that our fitness was very, very good. I thought that we tried to pass the ball whenever we could and we made the right decisions, that is what we thought we did well today. It proved so, it was a terrific goal that we scored, we didn't hold on for quite long enough but we would have taken a draw before, but that disappointment of not finishing it off is still there a little bit.

" The fans have been fantastic, we left on Thursday to get here. It is a hell of a long way, it is the first time that I have ever been up here on a Saturday, I have only played up here midweek before. They have got a long journey home and I would like to think that we have sent them home a wee bit happier than when they came, and we have got to do it all again in a fortnight's time. "



" It would be fantastic if the town could get behind us, there is no reason why they can't come down and support us, even if it is for a one-off. We would like to fill the ground out though, I know that Carlisle always take a decent crowd with them wherever they go. If we could fill it up and get some great support behind us then it might just be the spur that we need to kick on in the league now.

" We do feel that the tie is there for the taking now but it is a double-edged sword. The professional side, the second time they generally don't let that slip too many times. That is not to say that we are not going to have a go at it though, we are on home territory and we don't lose too many at home, and we would like to keep that sequence going. We are going to make it tough for them, we are not going to roll over and let them tickle our tummies, that is the last thing that we want to do.

" We were up for it today and that has probably been missing from our game, and that may be the spur that we need to go on and do well in the league. We have got some quality players out there, Fabian Wilnis has played millions of Football League games at the highest levels. Jamie Stuart has played in the Football League, Rob Gier has played in the Football League.

" We are playing with people that have got a bit of experience, Stuart Thurgood obviously in the middle of the park, so it is not new to a lot of them. These are the sort of stages that they love playing on, in front of big crowds, a beautiful surface, proper football grounds and that is no disrespect to the Conference because there are some great ones in that. It does make you want to play though and I think that those players today stood up and were counted.

" We made a big point afterwards of how much encouragement it gives us for the league now, it has got to be the catalyst for us now to kick on now and do well in the league. If we can perform like that week in and week out then we will be OK, but we do need to start doing it soon. They have done terrific today and it was a proper, dare I say it, professional performance. "



" Non-league sides now, although we are classed as that, we are a full-time outfit you know so we do work at it on a daily basis. We were up here yesterday and we worked at a local school and knew how we wanted to be set out, and obviously we had done our homework on Carlisle too. There were a few changes for them as well though today as well, but I thought that we adapted very well. We did keep our shape which is very important and people did their jobs, bar finishing it off we were quite pleased.

" Taking this into the league now is the most important thing, everybody says it but we aren't going to win the FA Cup, but we want to stay in the Conference. It is a terrific league, there are I don't know how many ex-league clubs that are in it now. That is our bread and butter and that is the thing that we want to stay into, so we do need to improve on that.

" We have been very close this year without actually finishing things off, we have been very short in front of the goal. Maybe today with Andre coming in that might just change in the next few weeks. I know that he is a loan player but if you do just get a run of results then it might just change the way that your season turns around, and that is what we are looking to do now.

" Our ground is a small compact little ground, bijou we call it in Essex. If we get the right people in, obviously we have got West Ham local and a few of the others so maybe they might just come along and want to support us that day. It will be hopefully noisy though, I know that Carlisle come down and they are quite noisy, I have played here in the past and that was different, they don't let you behind the goal anymore though do they.

" It will be friendly, the burgers are good as you can probably see, the atmosphere will be good, there is a bar and we expect supporters to come in and mix, which I hope that they are allowed to do. We want to give a performance though and we want to get a result, as simple as that. Both clubs are in the hat for the next draw so there is your little carrot to go looking for. "